Success Story: Lucy Ingham

Shortlisted Slimmer of the Year 2016/17 contestant Lucy Ingham decided to lose weight for fear of being stuck in a turnstile at a football match she’d gone to with her son . . .

“18 months ago I felt like the worst mother in the world. My husband and two young boys all enjoy sport and I was letting them – and myself – down badly. I would try to focus on how caring and kind I was as a mother, but there is no getting away from the fact my weight was holding us all back.

“I would experience anxiety when leaving the house every day, because I felt everyone would be looking at me. I would make every excuse under the sun to try and stay at home at weekends, and avoid social events, play dates and coffee mornings; all of which, I knew in my heart, my children would have benefitted from attending.

“I felt so awkward and self-conscious, it became easier for me to make excuses. When we went to the cinema, or theatre I would squeeze into the narrow seat and sit – in pain- throughout the film or show. If it was a theatre or place unknown to me, sometimes I would Google reviews to see what other overweight people were experiencing, to try to avoid arriving at a venue and being mortified by not fitting into seats.

“I got so worked up about taking a flight and the possibility of having to ask for a seat belt adaptor, or to pay for an extra seat, that we lost money on flights and decided to drive all the way to Italy.

“The crunch came when my son and I went to a football match and he looked really upset and worried when he saw the turnstile. He knew not to draw attention to my weight because of the countless times I’d been hurt (even though I tried not show it) when I’d been insulted before. But I saw the look in his eyes and it was then I reached my lowest point.

“I’d tried other diets but when you have a significant amount of weight to lose, a couple of pounds a week didn’t work for me. I used to fantasise about being in a situation where I could go somewhere and temptation was removed from me, but having a family made avoiding temptation very difficult.

“Then, at my very lowest, I found Cambridge Weight Plan. I was ready and motivated to lose weight after seeing the look on my son’s face at the football match. I met my Consultant who’d already been through the weight-loss experience and was so kind and welcoming – which was very important to me, because I was so vulnerable.

“CWP offered me the chance to remove food from my life for a short time so I could take a look at the real issues I had with food. And while doing that I lost a lot of weight.

“I’d lost around four stone before anyone other than close family members noticed, but I knew I was losing weight and even after the first fortnight I felt so much better psychologically.

“I’m still on my weight loss journey, but I can honestly say CWP has changed my life. More than that, it has given me and my children a life they couldn’t have before. I am eternally grateful for the new life I have.

“I have a social life I haven’t had since I was a teenager. My children and husband no longer have to tiptoe around my weight problem for fear of upsetting me. And I can finally do the sorts of sports and activities I literally fantasised about doing before.

“People saying I look great and totally different and that they hardly recognise me, it’s fantastic, as is being able to shop in ‘ordinary’ clothes shops.

“But the best feeling in the world is making my sons proud. They think they have a new mum, but I’m just the person I always knew I was, but I was trapped in a body that wasn’t mine.”